Northern Distributor Road must be delivered as a matter of urgency

University of Limerick is calling for the proposed Limerick Northern Distributor Road to be delivered as a matter of urgency and has identified it as an essential part of both the continued growth of the Mid-West economy and the university itself.

The new President of UL, Dr Des Fitzgerald, has called the proposed Limerick Northern Distributor Road an important and urgent investment in the region, saying “we have huge ambitions for growing University of Limerick in a way that can directly drive the economy of the region. The very welcome economic recovery is finally reaching the Mid-West and in my first few weeks as President of UL I have been visiting employers and industry partners and seeing first-hand the incredible potential that exists to capitalise on this recovery. However, as we know, economies are cyclical, there are upturns and there are inevitably downturns. Limerick and the Mid-West must ensure that it capitalises on this upturn and if the right decision is not taken now, this key infrastructural development may not be achieved”.

UL is conscious that any large-scale infrastructure development must be delivered in a manner that is sensitive to the local community and to the environment. The UL campus is one of the university's greatest assets and so UL wishes to see a Northern Distributor Road that fits with and complements the local environment and that of our campus.

“Not only would this key piece of infrastructure facilitate greater connectivity between the campus and the North side of Limerick City, Limerick Institute of Technology, Shannon Airport, County Clare and the West of Ireland, moreover it is necessary to ensure UL and its campus continues to function and flourish in the decades ahead,” said Dr Fitzgerald.

Without this investment, there is a real risk that the campus could be stymied by traffic congestion and that this congestion would continue to spill over into the local area.

In response to this concern and other plans for the campus, the university can also confirm that Dr Fitzgerald is commissioning a UL campus masterplan to ensure the future expansion and development of UL is delivered in a planned and complementary manner.

"The campus at UL is exceptional; it is a pleasure to work here. I know it will need to grow and I want to ensure that it does so in a sensitive and appropriate manner through a unified plan,” he concluded.